2010 Can-Am Renegade 800R EFI X XC

On Sep 6, 2010

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Can-Am’s Renegade is a speed freak’s dream ATV. This 800cc four-wheel-drive sport machine and its 71 horsepower engine is the fastest 4×4-equipped ATV we have tested in stock form. For 2010, Can-Am took what they have learned racing the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series for a few years and developed what they dubbed the Renegade 800R X XC. This bad boy’s most useful features are the upgraded of front and rear KYB shocks, as well as Can-Am’s new power steering system and front swaybar. Trick aluminum beadlock wheels, aluminum skid plates and taper handlebars with handguards were installed as well. These additions, matched with the suspension mods and adjustments, don’t make the Renegade faster, but you feel safer riding with the power it possesses.The Can-Am Renegade 800 is powered by the same 71 horsepower, Rotax 800cc, H.O. EFI, V-twin engine that is in the Outlander 800 series.

WHAT YOU GETCan-Am’s Renegade 800 is powered by a Rotax 800cc EFI V-twin engine. This is the same liquid-cooled, overhead cam, V-twin that runs the Outlander 800 series. Its electronic fuel injection automatically keeps the engine running at peak performance, no matter what temperatures and altitudes you are riding in. It also gives the Renegade a quick (a bit touchy) throttle response. By only slightly touching the throttle, the X XC lets you know the power is there. It rumbles like a Detroit muscle car.

The power is run through a CVT. The moment you hit the throttle, the machine responds and accelerates. There is no need to shift gears, so again, just hold on tight and gas it.

This sport 4×4 can pull just about any hillclimb or ford the deepest mud bog you put in front of it. Its Visco-Lok progressive locking front differential automatically transfers power away from a slipping wheel to the gripping one, all the way up to full lock. The Visco-Lok puts your mind at ease on tough terrain. You get to focus more on riding and let the machine adjust through different types of terrain. This means there are no buttons to push or levers to pull. So all you have to do is approach the obstacle and the machine will do the rest.

The front of the Renegade has double A-arms with KYB HPG aluminum shock and 8.5 inches of wheel travel.

SUSPENSION AND MOREOn the standard Renegade 800R, the HPG suspensions are very similar to the ones found on the Outlander models, but have been reworked for a sportier handling. With the Renegade 800R X XC, you get a plush shock upgrade. You still get double A-arms, but KYB aluminum piggyback shocks are installed on them. Each shock offers dual-speed compression and rebound and preload adjustments. The wheel travel with this setup over the standard Renegade drops from nine to 8.5 inches.

The independent rear suspension is reduced in wheel travel from ten to nine inches, but it is also equipped with the highly adjustable KYB aluminum piggyback shocks. The lower wheel travel number lowers the center of gravity a bit, further increasing the handling capabilities.

This new shock setup made the Renegade feel more like a plush utility quad, but made it handle like the race-ready sportster it was intended to be.

After years of testing in the GNCC series, Can-Am also equipped the X XC version of their Renegade 800R with a front swaybar, to work along with the tortion bar rear suspension system. This bar acts as a swaybar as it connects the two trailing arms together. Both made the Renegade track great on more technical trails. The Renegade handled really well. Usually, you can feel a little tipping sensation going on with the IRS, but it turned as if it were a straight axle machine. Yet, its 11 inches of ground clearance scream IRS.

Riding on these suspensions are the same 25×8-12 (front) and 25×10-12 (rear) ITP Holeshot ATR tires found on the standard Renegade 800. However, the standard Renegade offers rolled aluminum, cast center wheels, while the new X XC is equipped with new aluminum beadlock wheels with inner reinforcement rings. The beadlocks are provided with a super flashy yellow paint job.

These ITP tires look bigger than most 4x4s. This is because the Renegade’s sleek body styling allows you to see more of the tires, unlike most 4x4s. While it looks big, the Renegade manages to fly through tight woods racecourses. In fact, Can-Am ATV Warnert Racing’s Rick Cecco clinched the U2 class championship aboard his Can-Am Renegade.

This tread and wheel combo is brought to a halt by dual-hydraulic disc brakes up front and a single inboard hydraulic disc in the rear. The brakes are controlled by a left (rear) and right (fronts) brake lever and a rear right foot brake pedal. The braking system is great. Even at top speeds, the Renegade slows quickly and reliably.The flipside of the Renegade X is nearly bulletproof.

SPECIAL FEATURESThe Renegade has a cool-looking, aggressive style that we have grown to like. It looks much more like a sport machine than a 4×4 utility. The front plastic features four 60-watt projector headlights and a new compact, digital multi-function gauge. The gauge allows for mph, trip, gear and gaslight.

The Renegade’s seat is compact and slim, and it was very easy to shift your body on. The full floorboards protect your feet from mud and debris, and the raised kick-up pegs are great for a sport 4×4.

Behind the seat is a cargo deck with four tie-down hooks and a non-slip rubber deck. You can purchase a Renegade rack and cargo bag to install in this area, and they are available as Genuine Can-Am accessories. The machine is also winch-ready and has a Digitally Encoded Security System (D.E.S.S.) that makes it a bit harder to steal. Plus, it allows you to program your name into the system. Upon startup, our unit says, “Grip it—Rip it—Cain, don’t crash it.”We can’t help but smile at the addition of power steering to the Renegade 800 X XC. It has a potent motor, 4×4 capabilities, new adjustable shocks and a smooth as butter front steering. Oh yeah.

HOW IT COMPARES?While the Renegade X XC is the only race-ready 4×4 on the market, it still compares to these high-performance sport machines: Honda’s 700XX with its matching 686cc liquid-cooled, SOHC four-stroke powerplant and 9.3 inches (front) and 10.6 inches (rear) of wheel travel, which is all packed in a 508-pound chassis. The Polaris Outlaws are available in an IRS or swingarm version and offer Fox Podium shocks and KTM’s hotrod SOHC powerplant. Yamaha’s Raptor 700, which we also tested, features a 686cc liquid-cooled, SOHC, four-stroke powerplant with similar fully adjustable shocks. At $8499, Honda’s 700XX is more expensive than the $8099 Raptor 700, KFX700 ($6849) and the Outlaws ($7399 S/$7699 IRS), but is still over a grand less than the standard Renegade and $3500 less than the Renegade 800R X XC.

BUY IT?If you could afford the 12 grand retail price, the Renegade X XC is a blast to ride. Wide-open trails come quickly to an end. Tighter trails are no longer a problem, either. The power steering system made steering effortless, and it works like a steering stabilizer, keeping your arms in control at all times. The 2010 Renegade 800 EFI could keep up with most 450 sport quads on the trail, and pulled away when things got too challenging. Its 4×4 capability is nearly flawless, and the 800cc powerplant should excite any ATV enthusiast. It will even be considered too fast by many. In that case, those riders should look into Can-Am’s Renegade 500. We still hope they will stuff their 650 powerplant into a Renegade package as well.